Diversity of group cognitive behavioral therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder: a scoping review protocol

This review will identify and compare diverse approaches to group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

CBT is an established treatment for OCD. Although the benefits of group CBT are well known, its practice varies widely. Despite the growing number of studies on group CBT, the extent of heterogeneity in its structure and content has not been examined.

Eligibility criteria will include adult patients (18 years or older) of any gender, with a primary diagnosis of OCD. Articles must report on group CBT implemented as a treatment, specifically focusing on the number, frequency, duration, and format of sessions; number of participants; program content; and therapists' profession. The review will include both experimental and quasi-experimental designs, analytical observational studies, qualitative research, mixed methods studies, and textual evidence from key documents. Conference abstracts, research protocols, and systematic reviews will also be examined. All cultures, geographical contexts, races, and therapeutic settings will be considered. While subgroup analyses (eg, cultural or geographical variations) will not be conducted quantitatively due to the scoping nature of this review, relevant subgroup differences will be explored.

This review will follow the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. Published and unpublished articles in English and Japanese from database inception to the present will be searched for in PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, the Cochrane Library (including the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews), CINAHL, PsycINFO, Open Access Theses and Dissertations, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, MedNar, and Google Scholar. Two reviewers will screen papers against predetermined eligibility criteria and extract data for specific variables. Data will be presented as tables and figures, accompanied by a narrative summary.

OSF https://osf.io/smqjx/.